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The Paper Box Making 
Industry m Philadelphia 




ISSUED BY 

THE EDUCATIONAL COMMITTEE 

OF THE 

PHILADELPHIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 



PRESENTED TO 

THE SCHOOLS OF PHILADELPHIA 

BY THE 

PAPER BOX MANUFACTURERS 

OF PHILADELPHIA 

QiP 

PobMeh',. 

JUL 2P WU 



Copyright, 1918, Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce 



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The Paper Box Making Industry in Philadelphia 



THE IMPORTANT POSITION OCCUPIED BY 
THE PAPER BOX. 

It is probable that very few people, upon receiving an article 
packed in a paper box, stop to consider the importance of this modest 
container or the size and importance in our community of the Paper 
Box Industry. 

Though often discarded and receiving slight attention the paper 
box has today assumed a place of tremendous importance in the mar- 
keting of products of almost every description from tacks to candy and 
from socks to silk hats. 

Not only are paper boxes necessary to protect the goods packed 
in them from becoming soiled or otherwise damaged, but they are 
equally necessary and important as a guarantee of the character or 
quality of the contents. The use of trade-marked or generally known 
paper boxes also prevents unscrupulous dealers from substituting in- 
ferior articles in place of those asked for by the purchaser. 

The improvement and development in merchandising methods is 
evidenced in all lines by the increasing attractiveness of the containers 
in which the goods are packed. 

In days gone by the purchaser of an article was content to re- 
ceive it wrapped in paper or placed in a bag, but not so today. The 
critical public when making a purchase must now have the goods de- 
livered in a box, clean, well made and indeed often a work of art in 
itself. To such an extent has the paper box become a real factor in 
making sales that today every user of boxes is competing with his rival 
forJhe honor and increased business resulting from the more attractive 
packages. This unquestionable point, of the package actually selling 
the goods, in some lines has been so forcibly driven home that the 
manufacturers of these articles actually employ artists and designers 
to work up in the most painstaking way the boxes in which their goods 
will be displayed and sold to the consumer. Probably the confectionery 
business affords the best and most familiar example of the demand 
for fine paper boxes and the importance which the candy makers at- 
tach to the selection of their packages proves that the box is more 
than a mere container for the candy and is in reality the silent sales- 
man. The same thing is true of an ever-increasing number of articles 
sold to a discriminating public, who will no longer accept their pur- 
chases in common and unattractive packages. 



The Paper Box Making Industry in Philadelphia 



GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDUSTRY. 

The Paper i>ox liidiistiy is an iiiipoitaiit one, and it is interesting 
to know tliat there are in lMiiladeli>hia alone S(^nne sixty factories de- 
voted excliisivei.v to tlie niannfaetnre of paper boxes and employing 
over 5000 hands with an averaj^e weekly pay roll amonnting to nearly 
141,000. These factoiies, with their equipment represented, in 1916, 
an investment of .fl, 000.000 and ]>i-odnced daily approximately 2,000,000 
boxes which were sold for the yearly sum of -f 8.000,000.* 

The ev<dutioii and development from the few simple boxes of the 
past to the artistic i>ackages (»f the present with an ever-increasing 
demand was caused l)y and is causing constant changes in the meth- 
ods of manufacture. 

In the early days of the box-making industry there were no power 
machines an<l the few machines then used were (»])erated by haiul. In- 
deed many of the simpler and smaller boxes were made in the homes 
of the workers, the whole family at times taking ])art in tiie Avork. 
The manufacturer would distribute the cut stock by wagon or push 
cart to the homes, at the same time collecting the tinished boxes which 
had been made from stock previously delivered. This method allowed 
the box makei- to carry on his business without the necessity of a large 
building or the suiiervision and overhead expenses otherwise necessary. 
But these primitive methods limited production and made the price 
too high for tlie universal use of boxes, such as we see today. 

Gradually, h(»wever, better methods and the rai)id develoi»ment of 
machinery, working hand in hand with an increasing market, forced 
the ]iroduction of boxes on a quantity basis and a new era set in. 
Thenceforth the invention of new machinery and the develo])ment of 
better grades of boxes, for commercial uses, became very rapid and in 
turn caused the growth of other industries to supjdy the box makers. 
So today we find a tremendous investment in factories supplying ma- 
chinery and materials solely for the manufacture of ]>aper boxes. 

There are in machines, alone, some thirty-five different kinds, at 
least eight of which are necessary for the jiroduction, in any consider- 
able (luantity, of even the plainest covered boxes, while most or all of 
the various machines are recpiired to manufacture the high-grade and 
fancy boxes used for such things as candy, etc. 

The materials for pa])er boxes are almost endless in number, be- 
ginning with the basic raw material, "box boai-d." which is the body of 
the box, on through the great variety of cover ]>apers, printed wraps, 
lace ])a])ers, ghie and paste, stay paper, cotton, etc., and ending with 
the beautiful liand jiainted jdctures oi- wra]»s and the silk or satin rib- 
bons used to comjdete the decorative effects. 



'Figures here given were gathered for the year 1916. 




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The Paper Box Making Industry in Philadelphia 



HOW BOX BOARD IS MADE. 

It will be interesting to turn aside for a moment to the materials 
and processes used in manufacturing the basic raw material of all 
boxes, '*box board." Of this there are three principal kinds as follows : 
"News Board," made from old newspapers; *'Chip Board," made from 
all kinds of paper waste, and "Straw Board," manufactured from 
straw. 

"Chip Board," being the most commonly used material, will serve 
to describe very briefly the conversion of waste paper into the finished 
box board of various thicknesses or weights. 

Into a beater, partly filled with water and coloring matter and 
equipped with revolving arms, which tear the stock into small par- 
ticles, is thrown waste paper of all kinds. From the beater this semi- 
liquid mass is pumped to the Jordan engine where the stock is again 
ground into finer particles. From here it goes to the stuff chest or 
storage tank, whence it flows upon a wire screen, which is the be- 
ginning of the board machine proper. The thickness of the sheet of 
board is determined by the amount of material allowed to flow on to 
this screen in a given time. The screen is agitated or shaken in a 
horizontal direction to drain off the surplus of water and knit the re- 
maining fibre together. From this screen the mass is carried in a solid 
layer on to a traveling felt blanket which carries it again to the dry- 
ing cylinders. These cylinders are a series of heated drums or hollow 
rolls filled with steam, which extend one after another in close suc- 
cession about 300 feet and are for the purpose of drying out the board. 
Upon leaving the last cylinder the stock passes to the finishing calen- 
dar which is a series of steel pressure rolls between which the board 
interwinds. This gives the board a smooth finish, the smoothness de- 
pending upon the pressure of the calendar rolls. Passing from the 
calendar the board is slit into widths, sheeted into desired lengths and 
tied into bundles weighing fifty pounds each. 

Lastly, a white or colored paper, when desired, may be pasted to 
one surface of the sheet, this afterward appearing as the inside lining 
of the finished box. 

THE MAKING OF A PAPER BOX. 

Having decided upon the proper measurements, length, width and 
depth, together with complete specifications covering all the details 
of paper, printing, inside parts, etc., the actual manufacture of the 
box is commenced. Let us follow a box through the developing proc- 
esses with a brief description of each. 



10 The Paper Box Making Industry in Philadelphia 



A ^'Scoring Machine'' is used to cut the box or lid ''blank'' from 
the sheet of box board and as many can be cut from this sheet as the 
length or width of the blank will divide into the dimensions of the 
sheet of board. The rotarv knives on the "Scoring ^lachine'' are now 
set at the proper distances apart so as to cut and score the sheet into 
the blanks as shown in Fig. 1. The corners of the blanks are then cut 
out on the "Corner Cutting Machine" and the sides or edges of the 
blank are bent up to form the sides of the box. At each corner a 
piece of strong Kraft paper or Stay paper, as it is called, is attached 
by means of the "Staying Machine.'' so that the corners of the box 
are held together. The blank has now taken definite form and the 
box or lid, as the case may be, is ready for covering with ]»a}>er of the 
<lesired quality and color. 

The cover pajter can be put on in several ways. If manufactured 
and tinished in rolls the roll may be cut down or "slit" into smaller 
rolls of the i)ro]ier width which are placed on the "Covering Machine" 
reel and the i»aper drawn as a continuous strip over a glued roller, 
Fig. 2, and attached to the si<les and top of the box or lid. This is 
the "Covering Machine" method. Or else the covering may be carried 
out by means of the Stokes & Smith Wrapping Machine, Fig. 3. The 
latter is a very interesting machine in its operation and almost human 
in the results acconi] dished. The wrap or cover jtaper is passed through 
glue rollis. only <»ne side <»f the paper receiving a thin coating, and 
I)lace(l glue side uj) on a revolving table. From this the machine opera- 
tor jiicks off the wia]» with one hand, at the same time with the other 
hand taking an uncovered box which she immediately places bottom 
down on the glued wrap, care being taken to have it accurately cen- 
tered. The box is then lifted on to a close-fitting form which passes, 
with wrai> })artly attached to the box, down and througli a series of 
brushes and rolls which draw the wraj) closely to the sides of the 
box, neatly folding the paper at the corners and ends and turning the 
edges into the inside of the box. Thus the box emerges from the ma- 
chine, at the end of a complete revolution, in a finished condition, so 
far as the covering is concerned. If a simj)le one the box and lid may 
be made in this fashion and c(»nsidered complete, but the more com- 
idicated boxes pass on to other processes, perhaps to have a "neck" in- 
serted. This neck is a part consisting of joined sides and ends but no 
bottom. It is deej>er than the box so that it extends above the box 
sides and is for the ])urpose of fitting into the lid so that when lidded 
the sides of the box and lid are flush. This style of box is familiar to 
all. 

Many boxes are fitted with fiies or laces, which are the jilain or 



12 The Paper Box Making Industry in Philadelphia 

fancy papers glued to the inner edges of the box and laying over the 
goods when the box is packed. These are glued in either by hand or 
machine, according to which method the size, shape or quantity of the 
box is best adapted. Unless the production of flied or laced boxes is 
quite large the hand method is the usual one, but those factories turn- 
ing out this class of work in large volume have found the machine 
method to be by far the more rapid and economical. 

The finishing operations may consist of putting in trays, parti- 
tions, etc., and decorating with ribbons. 

The boxes with extended or "French" edges and perhaps padded 
tops are covered and finished very much in the same manner as just 
described, but with the additional operations of attaching the extended 
edges and the cotton padding, etc. 

HAND-MADE BOXES. 

Of course there are many styles of boxes of complicated construc- 
tion, such as the very fancy ones and those with hinged lids, falling 
sides, compartments, etc., so that it is impossible to make them en- 
tirely by machine. Boxes of this kind must be made partially or en- 
tirely by hand, requiring workers of long experience and often experts 
in some special operation. This work naturally is the most exacting 
and yet often extremely interesting and draws upon probably the most 
expert and experienced box makers in the trade. Many of the silk and 
satin and hand-painted boxes, seen so often in the confectioners' win- 
dows, are real works of art and bring from fl.OO to |20.00 each. 

REQUIREMENTS AND FACTORY CONDITIONS 

We hear much nowadays about vocations, life work, business op- 
portunities and other terms, used by the student of sociology which, 
in a nut shell, mean to the prospective worker but two things; work- 
ing conditions and wages. The very nature of paper box making and 
the uses to which the boxes are to be put demand clean, light, sanitary 
conditions, and an inspection of the factories in Philadelphia will con- 
vince one that our box makers have made or are striving to make con- 
ditions in their shops agree with the most modem ideas of pleasant 
and sanitary working conditions. The manual work of box mak- 
ing is peculiarly suited to the rapid and delicate handling of women 
and girl workers, excepting, of course, in the cutting processes, which 
are performed by men and boys. There are none of those disagreeable 
or objectionable features in box making which in so many kinds of 




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14 The Paper Box Making Industry in Philadelphia 

manufactiiring cause the so-called occupational diseases or serious dis- 
comforts to the workers, but on the other hand the work is compara- 
tively light and the principal qualifications of a good box maker are 
speed, cleanliness and accuracy. 

Safety has received unusual attention so that a device has now 
been designed for practically every kind of machine to insure the 
safety of life and limb under normal working conditions. 

Chances for advancement and the wages paid are the equal of those 
found in the great majority of industries, while the working con- 
ditions are good. 

In fact, for the ambitious and intelligent worker, who intends to 
make of his or her work something more than a mere "job." the paper 
box industry otfers many opportunities. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




017 574 188 4 



EDUCATIONAL PAMPHLETS 

ISSUED BY THE 

PHILADELPHIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 



PLTRPOSE — To make Philadelphia's life, industry, history and 
government known, understood, and appreciated by all its citizens. 



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Thrift — a short text-book 

The Trust Companies of Philadelphia 

The Rug and Carpet Industry of Philadelphia 

The Locomotive Industry in Philadelphia 

Truck Farming in Philadelphia County 

Candy Making in Philadelphia 

The Leather and Glazed Kid Industry in Philadelphia 

Milk and Its Distribution in Philadelphia 

Telephone, Telegraph and Wireless Systems in Philadelphia 

The Manufacture, Distribution and Use of Gas in Philadelphia 

Department Stores of Philadelphia 

Commercial Banking in Philadelphia 

The Paint and Varnish Industry in Philadelphia 

Commercial Value of Music to Philadelphia 

The Paper Box Making Industry in Philadelphia 



Other pamphlets in course of preparation 



LlBRftR^ „. 



OF CONGRESS 



f"^^ 188 A< 



